ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bear · wound · chest · bowl · staff · last · cold · stand

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. staff — employees
  3. staff — employees
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. cold — not warm
  11. chest — a box
  12. stand — to bear
  13. wound — an injury
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. staff — a stick
  16. bear — the animal
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. last — to go on
  21. cold — an illness
  22. chest — of your body
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. stand — on your feet

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com